100% Geek experience - 0% IM experience

[IM_Geek]

Hello all,

My first post, so please be gentle

I've always had a bit of a fascination for Internet Marketing, but never went into detail because I was(/am?) too young, too inexperienced and mostly, not funded.
Next to that, the bazillion sites with promises of riches overnight and horrible website design got real tiring, real quick.

However, I'm honestly convinced that I could contribute to IM world, because I AM quite experiended in computer tech things of all sorts.I'm fairly confident I can offer information on general subjects, ranging from computer perfomance tweaking, to mastering the Internet, to internet safety.

I have full-time job, I take classes on the side but I'd like to put time and effort into IM.

As for my goals, an extra buck on the side would be nice. I have an income, I just would like an extra that wasn't made through "The Man". So I'm not aiming for hundreds or thousands a week. I also do not wish to inject too much-if any- funding into it. If I need a website or whatever, I am resourcefull enough to establish a good website without paying a cent.

Another plus, I think, is that I'm fluent in Dutch, English, fairly fluent in French and have some understanding of German.

Is there a place for me, amongst you Internet Marketers? Given my "profile", what would be my best approach? Many thanks in advance for your time and advice!
*edit
No response? I had certainly hoped from some pointers from this community.

[Peter Bestel]

A belated welcome.

Don't be too harsh on the members - sometimes a first post does better if it's just a simple 'Hi - I'm new and a bit overwhelmed, please help'

My advice, from my limited experience is to hang around for a while. Contribute where you can and you'lll soon get a feel of how the forum works. You'll then be in a better position to decide for yourself how best to approach your business.

Peter

[Greg Cooksley]

Hey IM_Geek,

Welcome to the forum.....

It's looks as if you have some experience so as Peter said above,
get involved in the forum. Respond to threads where you feel
you can add something beneficial.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, either by starting a new thread
or by asking in an existing thread.

Also, use the Search button to see if there are archived threads
that give you the right answers.

You'll soon discover how and where you can help.....

Regards

Greg

[Tuzic]

hi,

welcome to this forum hope you learn a lot like i have done.

[Zulfus]

welcome to the forum! As for the best approach there's so many to choose from, i think like other suggest it's best to just get stuck in, formulate a plan & see what works for you

Zul

[IM_Geek]

Everyone,

Many thanks to you all! I suppose I am a little anxious to get my feet wet.

Beware, I set my phorumphaser on Question rapidfire.

Originally Posted by Peter Bestel

A belated welcome.

Don't be too harsh on the members - sometimes a first post does better if it's just a simple 'Hi - I'm new and a bit overwhelmed, please help'

My advice, from my limited experience is to hang around for a while. Contribute where you can and you'lll soon get a feel of how the forum works. You'll then be in a better position to decide for yourself how best to approach your business.

Peter

I honestly didn't want to come off as harsh, my apologies if my post seemed otherwise. I've experienced(luckily, not first-hand) that the aspiring beginner often becomes the prey of less benevolent IM'ers.

Guess I'll take it slow, establish a plan and give my 200% I'll need to repost and reformulate my question.

[idogi]

Try making money from writing articles.

[ShayRockhold]

Welcome to the forum!

You are going to love it here!

With the talents you have, I am sure you will be able to do quite a lot in IM. And this is the place to learn how.

[IM_Geek]

Originally Posted by idogi

Try making money from writing articles.

Although I can be creative enough, I don't really feel really enthusiastic to churn out several dozens of articles to make a buck. I hope I'm not coming off as too negative, but I've tried the article business, to no avail. I want to be excited and believe in what I do, writing articels wasn't doing that for me. Perhaps I need to look into it at a later stage, when I've gathered more experience about the subject.

Thank you for your input, and thank you Shay60654, for your warm welcoming.

[seanstreet]

Hey IM_Geek,

You've already helped a fellow newbie, ie. Me! with the post about an image not showing up in IE.

I've just joined today too, so you're not alone. And correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like you too, have been burnt online by unscrupulous marketers only out for your hard earned cash. I've also been down that route and it will be a while before I could honestly say I have made a profit on any online endeavour I apply myself too when I think about the money I have uselessly spent online.

Anyway, I've heard great things about the Warrior Forum and the people who help make it what it is, so I'd say we're both in good hands here.

Cheers
Sean

[mmurtha]

Hi IM_Geek,

Welcome to the forum!

You are never too young to get your feet wet doing IM or any other niche marketing, especially online.

It seems you can do severy things if you want to look into it.

If you write, and transpose from one language to the other, this may come in handy.

Also, if you know about techie stuff like computes, computer tech, etc ..., that might be a good niche for you to get into.

But the first thing I would recommend doing is to do a search in here for some threads that show you how to find a good niche, reasearch a niche, research markets, etc ...

Also checking in the old forum here: The Warrior Forum

There are some really gems in there that might get you started.

You can find different business models, ways to do specific things like set up a business, etc ...

Read as much as you can before you leap into anything. If not, you may end up spending more then you need to, or simply wasting your time on things that aren't beneficial.

Hope this helps ...


Mary

[IM_Geek]

Originally Posted by seanstreet

Hey IM_Geek,

You've already helped a fellow newbie, ie. Me! with the post about an image not showing up in IE.

I've just joined today too, so you're not alone. And correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like you too, have been burnt online by unscrupulous marketers only out for your hard earned cash. I've also been down that route and it will be a while before I could honestly say I have made a profit on any online endeavour I apply myself too when I think about the money I have uselessly spent online.

Anyway, I've heard great things about the Warrior Forum and the people who help make it what it is, so I'd say we're both in good hands here.

Cheers
Sean

I've lurked this place before, and sometimes there's just too many interesting things floating around to even keep track of, but I'm fairly confident that this forum is a gem on the Internet.

I've yet to be burnt though, I've managed to steer clear from the money grabbin' hustlers. I think I've developed an aversion towards overhyped smack-my-ad-in-your-face kind of marketing, which has kept me fairly safe.

Good luck in your endeavors!

Originally Posted by mmurtha

Hi IM_Geek,

Welcome to the forum!

You are never too young to get your feet wet doing IM or any other niche marketing, especially online.

It seems you can do severy things if you want to look into it.

If you write, and transpose from one language to the other, this may come in handy.

Also, if you know about techie stuff like computes, computer tech, etc ..., that might be a good niche for you to get into.

But the first thing I would recommend doing is to do a search in here for some threads that show you how to find a good niche, reasearch a niche, research markets, etc ...

Also checking in the old forum here: The Warrior Forum

There are some really gems in there that might get you started.

You can find different business models, ways to do specific things like set up a business, etc ...

Read as much as you can before you leap into anything. If not, you may end up spending more then you need to, or simply wasting your time on things that aren't beneficial.

Hope this helps ...


Mary

Thanks for the tips, I'll keep them in mind!

[dean mcevoy]

hey there

one hint i can give you is to network with people, you never know when a contact or 2 may come in handy.

if anyone i PM sees this dont worry im not a mercenary lol. your product WAS great and i DO love disney.

im sending you a PM now.

[IM_Geek]

Originally Posted by dean mcevoy

hey there

one hint i can give you is to network with people, you never know when a contact or 2 may come in handy.

if anyone i PM sees this dont worry im not a mercenary lol. your product WAS great and i DO love disney.

im sending you a PM now.

Hey man, even Micky can get on your nerves, I see your grief xD

Thanks for the help, though. And for the listening ear

Originally Posted by winkypee

Welcome to the forums..

I'm sure we could use talent like yours here and also learn so much in the process.

See you around..

Thanks! You people sure do emit a lot of positive energy. It's very nice.

[GuerrillaIM]

Hey IM_Geek,

I agree with you. After a while all the online sales sites derived from a formula tend to look a bit "samey" and grow old.

You say you are interested in computers and the internet, well then that is where you should start.

If I were you I would first start a blog, not to tell people what you had for lunch, but to write informative "How To" guides. Pick something you know about and write it. If your content is good then people will bookmark your site and subscribe to your RSS feeds.

Find the forums that are relevant to your subject and participate in them, you will find a lot of people making similar posts. Write a guide on your blog that covers these posts and link people to it whenever it is relevant.

By participating in forums (linking to your blog) and adding good content you should start to see traffic building and you will get a trickle of visitors that if you keep following this method will gradually increase over time.

Have a newsletter sign up on your blog and put together a newsletter weekly. This is easier than it sounds as you just have to find existing articles that are relevant to your audience (google "news aggregation") and give a brief description of each article plus a link in the newsletter.

So how do you make money doing this? Well you sign up for an adsense account and incorporate adsense ads into your blog. This will give a small income. Also look for affiliate products in your niche. If your blog and newsletter are good an build value then you will have good raport with your visitors and readers. If you plug something on your newsletter or blog then they will buy it, just make sure you only choose quality products or you will damage your reputation and ruin your hard work.

There are many more ways to drive traffic to your blog for free but that should be enough to get you started and to see if it is work you enjoy doing. If you take this advice and get a blog up with content feel free to PM me for ways on how to drive extra traffic to it (or have a browse through the WSO thread and but a few products for ideas).

I hope that helped

[IM_Geek]

Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM

Hey IM_Geek,

I agree with you. After a while all the online sales sites derived from a formula tend to look a bit "samey" and grow old.

You say you are interested in computers and the internet, well then that is where you should start.

If I were you I would first start a blog, not to tell people what you had for lunch, but to write informative "How To" guides. Pick something you know about and write it. If your content is good then people will bookmark your site and subscribe to your RSS feeds.

Find the forums that are relevant to your subject and participate in them, you will find a lot of people making similar posts. Write a guide on your blog that covers these posts and link people to it whenever it is relevant.

By participating in forums (linking to your blog) and adding good content you should start to see traffic building and you will get a trickle of visitors that if you keep following this method will gradually increase over time.

Have a newsletter sign up on your blog and put together a newsletter weekly. This is easier than it sounds as you just have to find existing articles that are relevant to your audience (google "news aggregation") and give a brief description of each article plus a link in the newsletter.

So how do you make money doing this? Well you sign up for an adsense account and incorporate adsense ads into your blog. This will give a small income. Also look for affiliate products in your niche. If your blog and newsletter are good an build value then you will have good raport with your visitors and readers. If you plug something on your newsletter or blog then they will buy it, just make sure you only choose quality products or you will damage your reputation and ruin your hard work.

There are many more ways to drive traffic to your blog for free but that should be enough to get you started and to see if it is work you enjoy doing. If you take this advice and get a blog up with content feel free to PM me for ways on how to drive extra traffic to it (or have a browse through the WSO thread and but a few products for ideas).

I hope that helped

Awesome advice. I've always wanted to look into running a blog. I've meddled with countless WP blogs before.

I'll need to let it sink in and think over on how I will approach this.

Thanks!

edit: Do you believe there would be room for setting up a eBook product, or would it be too early for that?

[GuerrillaIM]

Originally Posted by IM_Geek

Do you believe there would be room for setting up a eBook product, or would it be too early for that?

Ebooks sell really well, especially to people who are eager to make money. A lot of the guides and advice you will find here and on similar forums will assume you are selling some sort of "how to make money ebook".

The reason I suggested the blog/newsletter angle was due to the subject of IT. I know a few people that have technology based blogs and are making good living from their blogs and news letters. Most of their money comes from adsense and afilliate payouts for the software programs they promote.

Because they are active in forums and give lots of information away free their blogs become popular and they get lots of search engine traffic also. It doesn't require any investment other than time but takes a while to build up.

If you are going to sell an ebook then you are most likely going to have a squeeze page that builds your list and generates traffic towards your sales page. This is a effective method if done right but in my opinion to make it worth your while you have to spend money in advertising to drive traffic to your squeeze page or the effort of creating the information product in the first place is wasted.

So, to eventually answer your question... Yes, there is room to sell an ebook. Find a "starving crowd" as dan kennedy says and give them what they want. Get a good headline and offer together and see if it makes sales (even before you develop the product). If you hit a winning combination that lots of people are interested in then take a week off work to develop the product.

If that is the route you want to go down get all of Dan kennedy's Information Marketing stuff and learn it off by heart. Dan Kennedy has his faults and some of his IM stuff absolutely stinks but he is a master at information marketing so its a must read to get started.

If you do not want to invest any money in this venture then I would not recommend going down the ebook route as it will be difficult to get enough data to analyze and produce a profit. Of course you can always license someone elses ebook and try to get sales via forum traffic and press releases etc.. but free traffic sources to a single squeeze page are not easily sustainable in the long term (in my opinion of course).